To Ski or Not to Ski

23 January, 2012

3 Comments

In another world my business partners are preparing for a cat skiing trip to the Monashee Mountains in British Columbia. Though I was invited to join them, I will instead make my way to Utah to hook up with the Boondockers crew for a run on the sleds. Tough decision? Brother you have no idea!

Last summer I was out with the boys from the office when they started talking about their upcoming annual ski retreat. They were quite enamored in their description of the lodge, the snow and the experience in general but when they realized I wasn’t participating in the discussion they excused themselves and suggested and that it was unfortunate I couldn’t ski as they would love to include me in the group. With several drinks in my gullet I was feeling rather invincible and so reminded them that despite the fact that I hadn’t donned a set of boards since early 1998 – I could still cut turns around any member of their crew. Come December I was truly hoping that the bicycle rule (like riding a bike) would carry over to the ski world as there was no way I could backpedal out of this.

I created quite the spectacle when I arrived at the lodge wearing a pair of ‘Klim’ snowmobile pants, my 1997 ‘Hors La Loi’ après ski jacket and my old ‘San Marco’ boots. A kit which created the desired effect on the boys but somehow seemed to miss the mark with the onsite ski technician who passed me a pair of 168 cm skis that looked like inverted tennis rackets. “C’mon man! When I said I hadn’t skied in years I wasn’t expecting you to loan me your sister’s skis. I used to be somewhat of an expert at this back in the day!” Thankfully he took my comments in good nature and explained that the new ski technology resulted in shorter but wider boards whose concave shape and surface area were the modern equivalent to the standard 200cm minimum to which I was accustomed.

Following my fitting we attended a safety course which described the monumental snow pack, avalanche danger and of course the general perils associated with the cat skiing experience – none of which provided any relief for my fraying nerves and left me nearly paralyzed as I stared down a narrow chute with nothing but my ski tips to establish a proper frame of mind for my first run. Shouts of encouragement echoed round the mountain as I finally let loose and dropped the 10’ cornice. Tucking neatly, I touched into a pillow of powder and was amazed at both the flotation and the ease with which my tiny skis seemed to turn themselves down the hill. What a joke – it was as if I’d never stopped skiing and that my hiatus was nothing more than a midnight dream.

While I certainly acknowledge some element of reminiscent skill, I can’t help but marvel at the technological advancements which have created a shorter learning curve and a warmer welcome to every skier regardless of their experience or skill level. More importantly I find myself pondering the advancements in the snowmobile industry during the same period and realize that if anything they have made the sport more tangly than ever. Everything from track lug and chassis design to helmets, apparel and turbo; all improve function but as well, allow access to regions that were once impassable, perform stunts that were recently unimaginable and push the operating range of rider and machine well into an overtime shift. Certainly there are many improvements that can result in a far more comfortable experience but today’s snowmobiles will lure even the most novice rider away from the beaten path and into territory that demands a serious investment of sweat equity. And since I spend the better portion of my time sweating my brains out these days, I’m figuring the return I get from a well earned ride is far more rewarding than a slide down that slippery slope!

3 Comments

The technical advancements in sleds over the last decade have completely changed the way we ride, opening up many new possibilities but also creating new risks. The ability of newer machines to get even novice riders into dangerous spots highlights the importance of avalanche and survival preparedness. Back in the days of 136″ tracks and 700s, it was a little harder to get yourself into serious trouble… Thanks for another great read!

Love this article, thanks Andrew! It brought back many memories as i used to be a die hard skier trying to hit the slopes 100+ days a year! I would ski all day with my buddies and teach kids ski lessons from 5-8pm and then ski until the lifts closed at 10pm, sevaral days a week while at the same time attending college. I was SO Die Hard i would hike for hours for one powder run and was throwing down crazy tricks like double backflips!!

Until i met Geoff “phatty” Dyer in the winter of 2002 and purchased my first brand new sled (2003 polaris 700 144 blue and yellow)Phatty took me to places that opened my eyes to life beyond the ski resort boundry ropes! Then everyday became a dillema “to ski or not to ski” as stated by Andrew

2 years later i did my internship at KLIM which opened doors beyond my wildest dreams! Working with John Summers in marketing/sponsorships allowed me to work with pro riders! Most importantly the opprotunity to ride with Dan Gardiner in Elko NV. where i watched in awe as i saw him drop a GIGANTIC cliff for Godfrey films “Redneck Fury 2″ The following winter Phatty and i moved to SLC because we knew thats where Dan lived/Rode, for some reason he was gracious enough to allow us to ride with him! This marked the start of our journey with BOONDOCKERS in BD3!!

As Andrew stated at the end of his article “the return I get from a well earned ride is far more rewarding than a slide down that slippery slope!”

Ryan, that’s the same year I met Phatty and ended up buying a sled too. I coulda swore you had been riding your whole life back then. It’s true about the sled advances. Thankfully my first one was a Summit 670X with the 136 long track…it was fast, but yeah, I had a hard time getting myself into too much trouble on that sled! Probably good considering the guys I was following on the trail!